May of 2015 I reach the “milestone” of celebrating my 60th birthday. A few who know that I am reaching that point in my life have asked me how I feel about that fact. Obviously I have known it has been coming. I tend to be a person even outside of things going on in my own life to be very sensitive to time, date and occurrence relationships. The best I can describe my feelings are ones of reflection. The last “major milestone” birthday was 10 years ago at reaching 50 years of age. As I think about how my life has transpired over the last 10 years, I doubt if there is very much of it I would have predicted would have been part of my life 10 years into the future.
The last 10 years of my life have seen me take on a new line of work, move to a new town and transfer from working for a large corporation to working for myself. In terms of my personal relationships I have taken on the roles of caretaker, widower, dating and remarrying. Most of the people who are a regular part of my life now, both personally and professionally, I did not know 10 years ago.
Through it all I have assumed the demeanor to let what is occurring happen as it may. Much of it I could not control. Certainly any issues involving health were out of my control. I did make the choice to move on from a first career to an entirely new career, but not based on a master plan I had designed. When opportunities presented themselves I would research them and determine if they were right for me. Some were, others were not or still are not what I want, but all through the past 10 years I have been opened to at least listening to ideas. Sometimes an option that is not right for me, may be perfect for another. Having at least the knowledge of that choice has allowed me to become a better “connector” for those whom I meet, in aligning them with the opportunities that may be right for them in their life.
Around me I see a world that appears to becoming very opinionated, and individuals clinging to their beliefs with such fervor, they look to shout down or completely discredit the ideas of another. On the other hand, I have turned to hold my beliefs inward and offer them sparingly, except for those that I share as part of my career and life coaching. I am less in tune with what is going on in “popular culture”. I will at times glance at it, maybe even read an item here or there on the internet or in the newspaper, but it often seems to me everyone has an opinion and it blurs for me what is truly happening.
Most of all reflecting at my 60th birthday has told me, I have no idea as to what to fully expect what will happen by the time I reach my 70th birthday, if I am blessed to do so. Does that bother me? The unknown troubles all of us to some extent or another. However, if it troubles me that greatly I hope the greatest lesson I have learned over the last 10 years is to look back, reflect on where I was in my life and see to where I came. For me it provides me the strength of knowing that while things may not “turn out”, exactly as you may think, that does not mean your life can’t be fulfilling and rewarding and allow you to live in such a way that is truly terrific in connecting and sharing of yourself with those who you meet.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Wonderful work! That is the type of information that are meant to be shared around the net.